Karl Wilhelm Svensson (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈkɑːɭ ˈsvɛ̌nːsɔn]; born 21 March 1984) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a centre-back for Jönköpings Södra, IFK Göteborg, Rangers, and Caen. He won one cap for the Sweden national team and represented his country at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Karl Svensson
Personal information
Full name Karl Wilhelm Svensson[1]
Date of birth (1984-03-21) 21 March 1984 (age 40)
Place of birth Jönköping, Sweden
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Centre-back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2002 Jönköpings Södra 36 (7)
2003–2006 IFK Göteborg 55 (5)
2006–2007 Rangers 27 (0)
2007–2009 Caen 7 (0)
2009–2011 IFK Göteborg 26 (0)
2012–2014 Jönköpings Södra 53 (0)
Total 204 (12)
International career
2001 Sweden U17 6 (0)
2003 Sweden U19 2 (0)
2004–2006 Sweden U21 17 (0)
2006 Sweden 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

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Early career

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Karl Svensson started off his professional career with his boyhood club Jönköpings Södra, and signed with the IFK Göteborg ahead of the 2003 Allsvenskan season.[2] He was a part of the IFK Göteborg team that reached the 2004 Svenska Cupen final, but ultimately lost 3–1 to Djurgårdens IF.[3] Svensson was sent off in the final after picking up two yellow cards.[3]

Rangers

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Svensson signed with the Scottish Glasgow-side Rangers on 26 May 2006 for an undisclosed fee on a three–year contract.[4][5] The fee was reported to have been in the region of £600,000.[6] He made his Rangers debut in the first match of the Scottish Premier League that season, a 2–1 victory away against Motherwell.[7] He made a total of 27 Scottish Premier League appearances during his time with the Rangers, but rarely played from February 2007 and onward.[8][9]

Caen

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On 27 June 2007, Svensson signed a three–year contract with French side Caen, newly promoted to Ligue 1.[10] His time in France was plagued with injuries and little playing time.[11]

Return to Sweden

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On 19 January 2009, Svensson signed a four–year contract with his former club IFK Göteborg.[12] On 23 December 2011, he signed a three-year contract with his hometown club Jönköpings Södra IF in the Swedish second division, Superettan.[13] Svensson retired from professional football after the 2014 Superettan season.[14]

International career

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After having represented the Sweden national U17, U19, and U21 teams, Svensson made his first and only full international appearance for the Sweden national team in January 2006 against Saudi Arabia.[15] He was a part of Sweden's 2006 FIFA World Cup squad, but did not play.[16]

References

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  1. ^ Jonsson, Petra (17 February 2007). "Kalles nya Svensson-liv" [Kalle's new Svensson life]. Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  2. ^ "IFK Göteborg". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  3. ^ a b "2004 — svenskfotboll.se". www2.svenskfotboll.se. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  4. ^ "Karl Svensson till Rangers". gp.se (in Swedish). 26 May 2006. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  5. ^ "Rangers snap up Sweden's Svensson". 26 May 2006. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  6. ^ Esplin, Ronnie; Walker, Graham (13 October 2011). The Official Biography of Rangers. Headline. ISBN 978-0-7553-6313-1.
  7. ^ "Lyckad Rangers-debut av Kalle". SVT Sport (in Swedish). 30 July 2006. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  8. ^ Harris, Jordan (29 July 2017). "What happened to Rangers XI that faced Motherwell on 2006/07 opening day?". HITC. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  9. ^ Keown, Gary (28 June 2007). "Rangers boss is killing Svensson's dreams". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  10. ^ "Svensson joins Caen from Rangers". BBC Sport website. 27 June 2007.
  11. ^ "Inga motgångar kan stoppa Kalle Svensson". Jnytt (in Swedish). 19 October 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  12. ^ "Karl Svensson tillbaka i IFK Göteborg". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). 19 January 2009. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  13. ^ "Kalle Svensson lämnar IFK Göteborg - klar för Jönköping". fotbollskanalen (in Swedish). Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  14. ^ Jönköping, P4; sport.jkpg@sverigesradio.se (18 January 2015). "J-södra: Svensson slutar". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). Retrieved 4 June 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ "Saudiarabien - Sverige - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  16. ^ "Back: Karl Svensson". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). 16 May 2007. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
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